Urged To Defer Buying Of Life Jackets

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30855, 14 September 1965, Page 10

Urged To Defer Buying Of Life Jackets

Everyone who possibly can should wait until December before buying life jackets for yachting, boating, and water ski-ing this summer, says the September issue of “Consumer,” the journal of the Consumer Council.

In December the magazine win publish a report referring to a problem that has arisen in respect of kapok-filled life jackets.

“The fault seems to be in the PVC envelopes which contain the kapok,” says the magazine. “Kapoc is naturally

water-resistant and under normal conditions will dry out quickly after a soaking. If, however, kapok is en-

dosed in PVC and there is a puncture in the PVC, or a failure in the seams on the lining, water enters, finds its way tn the bottom of the envelope, and cannot escape. Under these conditions the kapok soon waterlogs.” The organisation proposes tn test jackets to a new New

Zealand standard specification that was not available at the time of its previous tests. Meanwhile, it urges owners of life jackets to examine them carefully to see that no parts of them feel heavy or dead—which would indicate that they are waterlogged or damaged. “‘Consumer’ will continue to interest itself in thir work,” says the magazine, “and will not be satisfied until it is sure that every jacket on the market is 100 per cent safe. The press of New Zealand has come out very strongly on this subject since ‘Consumer’s* tests first made the problem plain, and the publicity gained has been very valuable.” The magazine’s earlier tests showed that some types of life jacket were insufficiently buoyant and would not bring the wearer to an inclined backward position with his head and face dear of, the water.